Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!syd
From: syd@DSI.COM (Syd Weinstein)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: OCR font, check printing
Message-ID: <1990Mar19.014021.6410@DSI.COM>
Date: 19 Mar 90 01:40:21 GMT
References: <1990Mar19.000741.13602@cs.utk.edu>
Reply-To: syd@DSI.COM
Organization: Datacomp Systems, Inc.  Huntingdon Valley, PA
Lines: 38

battle@cs.utk.edu (David Battle) writes:
>I am looking for a font, I believe it is intended primarily for the
>eyes of optical character readers.  It is the font that is used to
>print account number information on the bottom of personal checks.
I wish those characters were only for optical scanners, but the
font is call MICR or Magnetic Ink Character Recognition for a good
reason, the ink can hold a slight charge and be read thatway at
very high speed.  As for the font, Adobe sells it along with two
others rather inexpensively.  The harder problem is getting the
magnetic toner.

A company used to sell magnetic toner for Ricoh laser printers
(The type used by the DEC LN03, TI and some others).  I don't
remember their name, but again, that toner would be more expensive,
and not needed for normal use, but it would have to always be in the
printer.

For the Canon type engine, I don't know if the special toner cartridges
are available with the magnetic toner.

As for the legality of printing your own checks, its perfectly legal,
you just need to get the check size right, and the positioning and
spacing of the magnetic characters correct.  You bank can give you
a MICR form for your account that will show where they want the
non standard stuff for your account.  The transit number is in a standard
place, as is the 'amount' after the check is encoded.  However the
rest of the line, although it has standard places, has optional
meanings for each bank, such as check number, account number, or other
encoding info.

Your bank would be very upset, (shown by charging you a fee), if they have
to add that little white plastic stripe onthe bottom of each check because
the characters didn't have the MICR ink.
-- 
=====================================================================
Sydney S. Weinstein, CDP, CCP                   Elm Coordinator
Datacomp Systems, Inc.                          Voice: (215) 947-9900
syd@DSI.COM or bpa!dsinc!syd                    FAX:   (215) 938-0235